Laurinaitis Quarterfinalist for Lott Trophy – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/22/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
NEWPORT BEACH, Ca. Seven linebackers, five defensive backs and five defensive linemen have been named as quarter-finalists for The 2007 Lott Trophy, presented by The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation of Newport Beach, Ca.
Eight different conferences are represented on the list along with one independent school, Notre Dame.
In its fourth year, The Lott Trophy honors the college football Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year. The student-athlete is judged on both his on-field performance and his off-field performance. The Lott Trophy is the only sports award based on personal character and is appropriately named after the legendary defensive back, Ronnie Lott. Previous winners were David Pollack of Georgia; DeMeco Ryans of Alabama; and Daymeion Hughes of Cal.
Semi-finalists will be announced Nov. 12. Voting for the winner will be conducted by Ernst & Young with ballots being sent to college offensive and defensive coordinators, national media, The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation Board of Directors, a Board of Advisors made up of former NFL players and coaches along with the 17 members of the Master Coaches. The four finalists will be announced Nov. 26.
The winner will be announced on Dec. 9th at a gala black-tie Awards Banquet at The Pacific Club in Newport Beach, Ca. All four finalists will be flown to Newport Beach for the banquet.
There are four players from Southeastern Conference schools Linebacker Wesley Woodyard of Kentucky, Defensive Back Jonathan Hefney of Tennessee, Defensive End Derrick Harvey of Florida and Defensive Tackle Glenn Dorsey of LSU.
The Pacific 10 has three representatives Cornerback Antoine Cason of Arizona, USC Linebacker Keith Rivers and USC Defensive Tackle Sedrick Ellis. Ohio State Linebacker James Laurinaitis and Illinois Linebacker J Leman represent the Big 10 Conference. Defensive End Chris Long of Virginia and Defensive Lineman Nick Larkin of Boston College are from the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Linebacker Jordon Dizon of Colorado and Defensive Back Nic Harris of Oklahoma represent the Big 12; Linebacker Ben Moffit of South Florida is from the Big East, Linebacker Cody Kase of New Mexico from the Mountain West; Cornerback Dwight Lowery of San Jose State from the Western Athletic Conference; and Safety Tom Zbikowski of Notre Dame, an independent.
Three of the quarter-finalists are on undefeated teams Laurinaitis of Ohio State, Moffit of South Florida and Larkin of Boston College.
A QUICK LOOK AT THIS YEAR’S QUARTER-FINALISTS:
Antoine Cason (Arizona defensive back): Smooth cornerback on mid-season All-America teams. Three interceptions, one punt return for a touchdown in 2007. Promotes Cason Cares wristband program at Arizona with monies to breast cancer research. Will graduate in December. Team captain.
Jordon Dizon (Colorado linebacker): Leads the nation in tackles. Mid-season All-American All-American. Academic All Big 12. Team captain.
Glenn Dorsey (LSU defensive tackle): Considered by many the best defensive lineman in the country. Mid-season All-American.
Sedrick Ellis (USC defensive tackle): Exceptionally strong player, anchors highly regarded Trojan defense. Mid-season All-American.
Nic Harris (Oklahoma defensive back): Mid-season All-American. President of campus Bridge Builders (community work)
Derrick Harvey (Florida defensive end): One of leading pass rushers in the country. Has five sacks this year.
Jonathan Hefney (Tennessee defensive back): Winner of CareActer Star Athlete of the Week. Will graduate in December. Highly regarded cover man.
Cody Kase (New Mexico linebacker): Outstanding student (Academic All-American) who has a 4.01 gpa. Never gotten B or less in college. Nominated for Draddy Trophy (academic excellence).
Nick Larkin (Boston College defensive lineman): Has graduated from BC with degree in psychology. Works in BC’s Generation Pulse publicity team and Hopes for Hope volunteer.
James Laurinaitis (Ohio State linebacker): Nagurski award winner as sophomore last season, he is an academic All-American and leads the Buckeyes in tackles. Mid-season All-American. Numerous speaking engagements in and around Columbus.
J Leman (Illinois linebacker): Mid-season All-American, Big 10 leader in tackles. Two-time team captain. Graduated in three years with 3.7 GPA. Will complete Master’s program in December. Raising money for local children’s home.
Chris Long (Virginia defensive end): Has 8 quarterback sacks to date. Mid-season All-American. Two-time team captain. Frequent speaker at schools in Charlottesville area. Son of Hall of Famer Howie Long.
Dwight Lowery (San Jose State defensive back): Led the country in interceptions last season with nine. Has three interceptions so far this year. First All-American at San Jose State since 1971.
Ben Moffit (South Florida linebacker): Leads surprising Bulls in tackles. Married with two children, he commutes 110 miles daily so his family can live in small-town atmosphere.
Keith Rivers (USC linebacker): Trojans’ leading tackler. Will graduate on time.
Wesley Woodyard (Kentucky linebacker): Among the leading tacklers in the country. Mid-season All-American. SEC academic honor roll. Named to UK Athletics Society of Character. Will graduate in 3 years.
Tom Zbikowski (Notre Dame safety): Hard-hitting Irish veteran is skilled punt returner as well. A professional boxer in the off-season, he donated all $50,000 of his proceeds for his last fight to charity.
The Lott Trophy is awarded to the college football Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year by The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation of Newport Beach, Ca. The Awards Banquet will be held at The Pacific Club located in Newport Beach, Ca. on Dec. 9, 2007. The winning student-athlete’s university will receive $25,000 for the general scholarship fund from The IMPACT Foundation. Each of the schools for the three runnerups will receive $5,000 for their general scholarship fund. More information can be found at www.thelotttrophy.com/
